SixersBeat Episode Tonight at 9PM (Eastern) - 03/10/11

Just finished watching the OKC game (I am late, as always) and still pissed off like crazy. Few Qs or points you guys might want to discuss tonight.

1) 0 points scored in the last 2.20 min of regulation, that means 5 straight empty possessions.
2) 4 pts scored in the last 7.20 minutes of the game (!!)

Doesn't that ring a bell also for the coach? As great as a job Collins is doing (and I admit I wasn't excpecting that) we can't always blame all the close losses "only" on the players, I think.

3) does saying that Iguodala is among the worst ("top")players of the league in crunch time qualifies me, and everyone that thinks the same, as a "hater"? 1 airball + 1 TO in the last 15 seconds is a pretty strong argument, I think, that unfortunately makes an already long list of shortcomings even longer.

@ Statman: I always find your observations extremely interesting and agree with you on many.

Great point on KD's 4 point play being an awful call by the officials, I was suprised to see few noticed (also between our players, I mean) he had one foot well inside the arc, realized that easily when watching live, no replays needed....
Surely Thunder cannot complain about the officiating because, as you said, Harden moved badly on the screen that freed KD for the tying three, and KD clearly had already lost the ball on that BS foul called on LW.... superstar treatment at its best (?).

But we have to be fair, after all Sixers didn't deserve to win this one, they missed too many opportunities, open shots etc, also in OT. What a difference having a real closer makes...

Ricky, thanks for the kind words. I don't agree that Iguodala isn't a clutch player, but I do agree he is not a great isolation shooter. In what I call "ultra-clutch" situations this year (24 seconds or less, one possession game), I have him at 2 for 10 with the one turnover; the percentage is only marginally lower than the league average of 28-29% -- and higher than that of the Miami Heat (with two superstars), who are 1 for 18 or something like that. Recent analysis has shown that the isolation play is a low-percentage play for anyone, even the best isolation players (Carmelo, Dirk).

Brian, that brings up a good question to discuss on your show: what would your preferred play be at the ends of close games? I'm on record that the play has to have multiple options, and I don't have a problem with Iguodala initiating -- but I don't want an Iguodala shot to be the only option (nor would I have a problem if they gave it to Jrue with an initial P/R, as you suggested).

OK, so in the big news of the night, Kobe Bryant spent an hour-plus after the game shooting, which the mainstream media ate up. On Twitter, it's more of a divided reaction.

My two cents are, one: This doesn't make up for how stupid his shot selection was in the game. He's really dedicated, I get it, but the fact LeBron outplayed him tonight gets overshadowed by him practicing after the game. Just because he's obsessed with getting up 1000 shots today doesn't mean he's a great teammate.

Two: People are saying this wasn't for show. He literally shot in front of reporters tonight, and the Heat have an auxiliary gym in the building. He knew what he was doing.

My two cents: This is an insane narcissist faced with the reality that he isn't what he once was. Doesn't know how to handle it. Freaks out. My guess is that he didn't even care who was there to see him, he just sort of lost it.